Stuart Forster heads west of Chicago and discovers things to do in Oak Park and neighbouring towns and villages. Highlights include visiting the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio.
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Heading to Chicago and looking to explore beyond the downtown area? Head just a few miles west and you can visit the grave of Al ‘Scarface’ Capone, cycle the Illinois Prairie Path and spend time at the Riverside Farmers’ Market.
Frank Lloyd Wright in Oak Park
Frank Lloyd Wright was a prolific and celebrated architect. His works include the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City, Taliesin in Wisconsin and Fallingwater in Pennsylvania.
Lloyd Wright has been described as America’s greatest architect. He lived from 1867 to 1959.
The greatest concentration of Frank Lloyd Wright-designed buildings is in Oak Park, Illinois. The architect established an independent practice there in 1893.
A suburb of Chicago, nine miles west of the city centre, Oak Park is on the metro system’s Green Line. Strolling to the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio from Oak Park station, you’ll pass the houses he designed for Frank W. Thomas (210 Forest Avenue), Peter A. Beachy (238 Forest Avenue) and Nathan G. Moore (333 Forest Avenue).
The Frank Lloyd Wright Trust offers self-guided audio tours of the neighbourhood, introducing the architect’s work and the thinking behind his celebrated, Prairie-style homes.
Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio tour
I participated in a 60-minute tour of the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio.
The house at 951 Chicago Avenue was set amid prairie land when Lloyd Wright began living there.
The engaging tour provided insights into the renowned architect’s home life and working environment. I found it interesting to see details such as the patterning on windows and the way he worked space around a grand piano.
Starting in the living room of his home, the tour concludes in his studio.
Things to do in Oak Park and beyond
Here’s a round-up of other top places to visit in Oak Park and neighbouring communities west of Chicago:
Ernest Hemingway Birthplace Museum
Ernest Hemingway was born on 21 July 1899 in Oak Park and grew up there. Take a tour of the Ernest Hemingway Birthplace Museum. It is at 339 North Oak Park Avenue in Oak Park.
Hemingway was the author of novels including The Old Man and the Sea and For Whom the Bell Tolls.
Oak Park Conservatory
Oak Park Conservatory’s botanical gardens are open throughout the year. The glasshouse houses more than 3,000 species of plants. Dating from 1929, it is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
The conservatory is conveniently located by Oak Park Metra station.
Brookfield Zoo Chicago
Brookfield Zoo Chicago houses more than 3,400 animals. It’s an ideal destination for family days out.
Active in several conservation programmes, the zoo opened the James and Elizabeth Bramsen Tropical Forests in 2025. Recreating four habitats where primates dwell, the state-of-the-art facility houses monkeys, western lowland gorillas and orangutans.
Al Capone’s grave
Mount Carmel Cemetery in Hillside is the location of Al Capone’s grave. Capone lived from 1899 to 1947. Dean O’Bannion, Frank Nitti and Jack ‘Machine Gun’ McGurn are among the other notable figures interred in the cemetery.
Cheney Mansion
Tour the Cheney Mansion, a six-bedroom home at 220 North Euclid Avenue in Oak Park. It was designed in 1923 by Charles E. White, who worked in the studio of Frank Lloyd Wright.
Pleasant Home
Pleasant Home, at 217 Home Avenue in Oak Park, is a 30-room house that was designed by George W. Maher. Dating from 1897, it is a leading example of Prairie School architecture.
Visit on a standalone tour or as part of a combined Historic Homes and Gardens Tour. With a duration of 3.5 hours, the combination tours are an ideal reason to spend half a day exploring the area west of Chicago.
Illinois Prairie Path
The 61-mile Illinois Prairie Path is a mixed-use trail along the former route of the Chicago Aurora and Elgin electric rail line. Open to walkers, horse riders and other non-motorised traffic, the path is ideal to cycle. If you enjoy picnics, pack one and enjoy it along the way.
Riverside water tower
Riverside’s Swiss Gothic water tower was designed in 1869 by William LeBaron Jenney. It now hosts the Riverside Historical Museum.
Riverside was planned by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, who also designed Central Park in New York City. It has some beautiful homes and
On summer Wednesdays, nearby Centennial Plaza hosts the weekly Riverside Farmers’ Market.
Johnnie’s Beef
For a delicious dipped beef sandwich, head to Johnnie’s Beef at 7500 W North Avenue in Elmwood Park. The long-established diner is a popular spot to pick up sandwiches, fries and milkshakes.
Forest Park Casket Races
The annual Forest Park Casket Races is a popular event as Halloween approaches. The races take place along a 585-ft course in downtown Forest Park, 10 miles west of Chicago. Teams race spookily decorated coffin-shaped carts. The caskets holding a helmet-wearing ‘ghost’ and the teams are often in Halloween-related costumes.
Getting to Oak Park
It’s easy to travel between downtown Chicago and Oak Park on public transport, including buses and trains. The Green Line of the L, Chicago’s elevated train system, runs between the two. The Blue Line does too, and also connects Chicago with O’Hare International Airport.
Another option is to hire a bicycle and cycle. Chicago’s Divvy Bikes system is easy to use.
Accommodation in Oak Park, Illinois
Looking for hotels in Oak Park and the surrounding area? You can find and book rooms using the map below:
Books relating to Chicago and Oak Park
Planning a trip to Chicago and the towns to its west? You can buy the following books from Amazon:
Lonely Planet’s Pocket Chicago.
Fodor’s guidebook to Chicago.
Chicago: A Biography by Dominic A. Pacyga.
Taschen’s Frank Lloyd Wright.
The Oak Park Studio of Frank Lloyd Wright by Lisa D. Schenk.
A Guide to Oak Park′s Frank Lloyd Wright and Prairie School Historic District.
Ernest Hemingway: A Biography by Mary Dearborn.
Further information
Visit the website Oak Park and Beyond to discover more about things to do west of downtown Chicago.
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